Tubular building structure



April 21, 1953 B. POYNTER 2,635,303

TUBULAR BUILDING STRUCTURE Filed June 10. 1948 2 SHEETS SHEET 1 f F10 afi.

IN V EN TOR. DOA/.44 a .5. I or wig ATTORNEY-S.

April 21, 1953 D. B. POYNTER TUBULAR BUILDING STRUCTURE 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed June 10. 1948 INVENTOR. flan/4L0 B Pa y/vrE/ Patented Apr. 21, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

My invetnion has to do with building structures, particularly with structures in the nature of constructive and educational toys. It is a principal object of my invention to provide a structure simulating a log cabin in appearance, large enough to accommodate several children, and which may be constructed by a child solely from the materials provided, and without the aid of tools or other equipment.

My structure comprises in essence a plurality of wall forming tubular members notched to interlock with one another, gable forming members for each end of the structure and a roof. In my preferred embodiment for use as a constructive toy, substantially the entire structure may be manufactured from heavy grades of paperboard, the tubular members being formed in the same manner as ordinary mailing tubes. The entire structure is designed to be used for as long a time as desired, and then, when the child tires of it, it may be dismantled and stored for future use. In this connection, it is another principal object of my invention to provides. novel container in which various parts may be transported and stored, the container itself being formed from component parts of the building structure.

While my invention is described in connection with a log cabin construction for children, it will be obvious as the description progresses that the novel features of my invention will find utility outside of the toy field. For example, if the tuily and which, when disassembled, may be packaged in a container formed from parts of the building itself.

It is an object of my invention to provide a building structure which can be manufactured from paperboard and which can be assembled without tools.

structure which may be assembled and disassembled read It is another object of my invention to provide I a building structure comprising tubular wall members which can be made of paperboard by simulated logs by means of paperboard tubing 2 and indenting portions of the tubing to form notches whereby members may be interlocked to form structures of various shapes, sizes and designs which may be constructed from a given number of elements.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a building structure formed of paperboard elements suitably treated with water repellant and flame resistant materials so that the structure may be exposed to the elements for a considerable length of time without ill elfects and which will not burst into flames should it be exposed to matches or open flame.

A still further object of my invention is the formation of spaced notches in tubular members whereby a plurality of members may be secured to one another and will remain in fixed position without any other form of attachment means; the notched portions being so arranged that when interlocked a wedging action occurs which retains the members in that relation.

These and other objects of my invention which will be set forth hereinafter or will be apparent upon reading these specifications, I accomplish by the arrangement of parts of which I shall,

now describe certain exemplary embodiments.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the building structure packed for shipment.

Figure 2 is an exploded view showing in detail the manner in which the different parts are packed and showing the parts used to form the packing container.

Figure 3 is an exploded View of an end of the container illustrating how the gable elements of the structure form the ends of the container.

Figure 4 illustrates representative lengths of tubing used in the construction.

Figure 5 is a cross-section taken along line.

erected cabin constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 9 is a partial perspective illustrating a step in the erection of the gable elements.

Figure 10 shows the type of peg used to fasten the gable elements together.

Figure 11 is a front elevation of the completed cabin. l Figure 12 is a fragmentary plan view of the cabin with a portion of. the roof broken away 3 to show the ridge pole attached to the gable elements.

Figure 13 is a fragmentary perspective of a corner of the cabin with parts in exploded relation illustrating the mannerin which the gable elements are fastened to the uppermost tubular members.

Figure 14 is a perspective of the ridge pole.

Figure 15 is a cross-sectional View taken through a pair of interlocking notches with the members slightly separated to show more clearly the relation between the coacting elements.

Figure '16 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a construction employing a tie-rod.

Figure 17 shows an alternative container con-- struction employing flexible material.

Figure 18 is a fragmentary perspective illustrating the fastening means used in conjunction with Figure 17.

Figure 19 illustrates novel means for weather'- stripping the side wall members of m novel construction.

To construct the cabin, the tubular members are arranged one upon the other to form the body walls in usual log cabin fashion with alternate members placed at right angles te one another. When the body walls have been erected to the desired height, the gable elements, fitted with pegs for the purpose, are placed into position on top of the uppermost tubular members; the said gable members determining the pitch of the roof. A rid e pole may be provided to fit between the topmost points of the front and rear gable members to provide support for the roof. Once the ridge pole is attached, the roof may may be lifted into place with its medial fold line positioned to overlap the ridge pole and with the panel elements extending outwardly and downwardly, resting upon the upper slanting edges of the able To dismantle the structure, the erection process is simply reversed; which, incidently, makes it quite simple to repack the members since the roof, which is the first element removed, is used to form. the body walls of the container. The gable elements are nextftobe removed and these, when placed back to back form the end walls of the container.

While in the description following, my invention is disclosed with reference to a four-sided, gabled roof cabin, it will be understood that other types and designs of structures may beassembled from the same elements and I do not wish t be limited to the particular embodiment hereinafter described. Size also is no limitation upon my invention. For example, it could be put up in a model size kit.

Referring to Figure 4, I havev shown exemplary sizes of tubular members used in my construction comprising tubes I indented to form notches as indicated generally at 2. Since the tubes are hollow it is often desirable to close theends of the tubes with suitable cap members 3 to carry out the concept of simulating logs. The tubes may be formed from paperboard stock using the ordinary tubin machines now in general use in the industry and are cut to the desired lengths in the usual manner. The notched D tions are formed by cutting pairs of transverse slits partially through the periphery of the tubes at spaced intervals and then depressing the portions 4 lying between the spaced pa of cuts, as illustrated in cross-section in Figure 5 and Figure 6 in perspective. Care must be taken to obtain uniform notching of all of the tubes, for otherwise, perfect interlocks cannot be obtained and the structure will lose its rigidity. In the ordinary log cabin made of logs rigidity is obtained by the sheer weight of the notched logs resting one on the other or else by means of nails, pegs or th like driven through the members to hold them firmly in place. In my novel structures, weight alone cannot be relied upon to impart rigidity because the structure, being of tubular construction, is inherently light in weight. Nor do I employ nails, pegs, clasps or the like to hold the members together. The rigidity of my structure is attained primarily by means of th novel manner in which notched tubular members interlock with one another. By accurately registering the interlocking notches each exerts a wedging or graspin ac"- tion upon the other to retain it firmly in place. This wedging effect can be attributed t the resiliency of the tubular members and their ability to be slightly distorted when wedged together.

By accurately cutting the tubes to form form notches having a width slightiy less than the diameter of the tubes, the notches have a wedging action due to the resiliency of'the ma terial and will coact with one another making it unnecessary under ordinary circumstances to apply other means to retain the tubes in inter= locked condition.

The cuts should extend through approximately one-fourth of the diameter of the tube so that the tube may be notched on diametrically opposed sides and still have arcuate portions between each pair of notches. I have found that the notch forming or indented portion 4 lying between the pairs of cuts may be readily iii-- dented by means of a press or by being struck a sharp blow with a hammer-like device or maul, the indented portions bending along lines defined by the ends of the pairs of transverse cuts. While the transverse cuts may b made perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tube, I

V have found it advantageous to incline the cuts the cuts were parallel the contacting areas would be much smaller and consequently the members will not interlock as tightly.

In Figure 5:1, I have illustrated a modification of my novel notch in which the portion of the tube lying between the lines of out has been severed and removed. Figure 7 shows still an.- other modification of the notch in which the indented portions i are riveted b means of a rivet It which strengthens the notched portions by resisting the distortion of the-arcuate portion caused by the wedging action during; the-inter locking operation. The rivets ma be? in the nature of eyelets or grommets havin an opening therein through which a -'tie=-rod, ropeor the like may be passed to further strengthen the" panels '5, 8 9: and I0 'articulated by suitable v tapes II. It will be remembered that these panels also form the roof of the erected building. The end walls of my novel container each comprises a pair of like triangular elements I2 and i3 placed hypotenuse to hypotenuse, whereby a rectangular end wall member is formed, being held together by means of plates it placed one on each side of the triangular portions and pressed together by means of bolt and wing nut l5 passing between adjacent notches llict. in members 12 and I3. Straps id or other similar means such as ropes, tapes or the like may be employed to retain the assemblage in closed condition. If desired, a handle member or members (not shown) may be supplied to facilitate handling. Pegs l7 and it are mounted about the outer edges of the gable elements for engagement in holes l9 spaced near the outer edges of the panel elements. Pegs ll have stub ends which engage in holes l9 when the container is assembled and which, in the erected structure, engage in the uppermost front and rear logs to hold the gable elements in place.

In Figure 2, the container of Figure 1 is shown in an exploded view with elements of the roof folded back to show how the tubes are packed in the container, and also to show the relative positions of the other members. Figure 3 is also an exploded view and shows in detail the manner in which a pair of gable forming elements form a rectangular end wall for the container.

To construct the cabin, or other structure desired to be built, the container is first opened by removing the belts or other engagement means and folding back the top member. If desired, the end member may be next removed and laid aside. The tubes are taken from the pile as they are needed. Certain of the tubes may be formed with notches on one side only so as to provide. solid base members upon which the other tubes may rest. For example, as seen in Figure 8, the lowermost tube l in the rear wall and the two smaller tubes la lying to each side of the door are notched on one side only and, therefore, lie flush with the underlying surface on the other. Side wall members lying perpendicular to the first mentioned members are then fitted into position; another row of rear and front members are placed, including stub meme bers lb placed between the free ends of front wall members and so on until the structure has reached the desired height In Figure 8, I have illustrated a partially erected cabin in accordance with my invention showing one of the side Wall tubes being fitted into place. The uppermost tubes may be notched, in the same manner as the lowermost, on only one side and in addition, may be configured to receive pegs or the like.

In Figure 20, I have'illustrated an alternative tube construction employing halfetube member Id formed either by cutting the tubes in two or by indenting along its entire length. The half tubes are notched in the same manner as the whole tubes and find use as solid base members or, if notched aslant of the perpendicular, as uppermost members placed to lie flush with the underside of the roof.

2 After the wallmembers are completed, the next step is to fitthe gable forming elements l2 and itinto position. They are, in general, in the shape of right triangles preferably having the end of the outermost adjacent angle cut off to form a quadrilateral figure, the cut off angle adapted to be fitted into a peripheral cut inthe uppermost side wall tube whereby the roof can 6 be made to lie tangent to the uppermost side wall members.

In Figure 9, I have illustrated the manner in which the gable forming elements I2 and I3 are joined edge to edge by means of forked pegs l8 which engage the edge portions of the opposite element. Thus, the forked peg H8 in gable element l2 engages the edge of element Ii3 while at the same time the peg attached to element it engages the edge elemnt l2. Apertures 26 (Figure 9) are provided near the apex of the gable members for registry with the ridge pole as will be explained in detail hereinafter. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional View showing the construction of pegs 18.

In Figure 13 I have illustrated how the outer edge of the gable elements are fitted into arcuate slot 2| cut in the uppermost side wall tube with peg l'l shown positioned to be inserted in the hole 22 provided in uppermost front wall tube la.

One form of ridge pole is illustrated in Figure 14 comprising a rod 23 configured to conform to the pitch of the roof and having end plates 24 fastened at each end by means of screws or the like 25. Each end plate has a spaced pair of bolt holes 25, which, when the ridge pole is properly positioned between the gable members, register with corresponding holes 20 in the gable members. Bolts and wing nuts 21 are inserted through the aligned pairs of holes to maintain the ridge pole in position. If desired, the bolts may be permanently fastened to plates 24 so that there will be no danger of losing them or having to provide a bag or the like in which they may be kept.

The completed structure is shown in Figure 11 with the roof positioned over the ridge pole and resting on the sloping edges of the gable members. The weight of the roof is generally sufiicient to retain it in place; however, if de-' sired, it may be secured by means of ropes, tie-rods, or the like.

In Figure 12, I have shown a partial plan view of the roof with portions broken away to show the manner in which the ridge pole is attached to the gables. Ridge pole 23 is positioned so that end plates 24 contact the uppermost portions of the gables in face-to-face relation with belt holes 25 aligned with bolt holes 20 in the gable members. Bolts and wing nuts 21 are inserted to complete the assembly.

It will be understood that many types and varieties of structures may be assembled with many alternative constructions possible from the same kit. For example, a lean-to, block house, fences, and even bridges may be constructed, the number of designs being 1imited only by the ingenuity of the builder.

For outdoor use, it is preferable to use 'prooied board or to treat all members with some kind of water repellant substance. The nature of the proofing agent is not a limitation on my invention, and any of the known proofing agents may be used. The tubular members may be 'proofed by dipping after being cut to size and notched or they may be treated during the tubing operation as the paper stock is formed about a tubing mandrel. In the latter case, the proofing agent chosen should be compatible with the adhesiveagent. It is also desirable to select an agent which is flame resistant or to apply a separate flame resistant agent. Dye or other coloring matter may also be mixed with the proofing agent, if desired. 7

- Ia i l e 5 Have sh wna m -s c a view takenrthroughla pair of interlocking notches with the members slightly separatedto illustrate the :coa'ction rbetween the cut portions of one tube and the arcuate portions is lying between opposed notches of the other. It will be clear that as the upper tube is pressed into'the notch of the lower tube,between out edges 5, the arcua-te portions l e of the upper tube contact the cut portions 5alongthe entire periphery of the cuts. The-two'me'm'bers, being hollow tubes, have a certain degree of resiliency and will give slightly when wedged together. The indented .portion 4 acts as a brace or rib between opposed portions lc-exerting force outwardly should the wall portions Io be pressed inwardly.

In Figure #16, I have illustrated a method of anchoring thestructure to a foundation and at the same time securing the roof firmly in place. Afoundation of concrete, stone, wood or the like maybe provided as at 28, to which is fastened tie-rod 25 havingthreads stand nut 3| atone end. When a tie-rod is us d, the tubes must be provided witheyelets in the notched portions through which the rods may pass, as illustrated in Figure 7. Apertures 32 are provided in the roof panels through which the rod may also pass. A spaoer ts m'ay also be provided.

InF-ig'ure 17, I'haves-hcwn an alternative construction in which'the container walls and roof :are of a sheet-of flexible material such as canvas or the like. End wall members are the same as .in'the rigid container excepting that the pegs H and fiil' are replaced by metal fasteners 30. A sheet of canvas :35 is provided of dimensions similar to roof panels '5, 8, 0, 10 with the exception that there maybe a slight overlapping portion atone end of the canvas to lap an edge of the container and hook over fasteners 3d. Pockets 3 5 are spaced lengthwise through the flexible sheet into which are inserted rods 3'! spaced to form the longitudinal corners of the container and to provide rigid longitudinal support at those points. Groimnets or eyelets 38 are spaced near the outer edges of the sheet and correspond in position to the-metalfasteners 35 i aiii'xedto end wall elements 12 and 13.

To assemble the flexible container,'canvas 35 is stretched out fiat and the end forming elements it and 13 are set -up between the properpair of spaced 1'02 3! whereupon the flexible sheet is folded about the end pieceswith groinmets -38 engaging over fasteners 34. To assure that the canvas will notslip from the fasteners additional rods 39' are provided which pass through the loop portion-of longitudinal pairs of fasteners after the grommetshave been snapped on thus preventing the canvas from being removed without first removing the rods 39. In addition to-this, the rods 30 maybe used as roof ribs or they may be tapered 'at one-end and have a head at the other for use as tie-rods, the tapered end being stuck in the ground to retain the structure --in much the same manner as shown in Figure 16.

as at 3!, and biting into the periphery of the tube; leg tz at'the opposite or inner end being turned upward. 1 It is important that the bars-are placed in this inannergfor if the "positions' -were reversed the outer *leg would turn upward and rain would catch therein and run intuthebuild- -i-ng-. an" alternative; felt'strips, "calkin'g or the 8 like'maybe employed, the latter being of practical value only-if the structure isto remain standing fora considerable length of time. .It'may also be found desirable to insulate the structure by blowing or otherwise packing insulating material inthe tubes.

Other modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit of it. Having thus described my invention in an exemplary embodiment, what 'I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A wall member for a toy'house comprising a cylindrical paperboard tube, said tube having longitudinally spaced pairs of cuts therein, said pairs of cuts extending at right angles :to the longitudnial axis of said tube and being coextensive withinthe same arcuate segments thereof, with theportions ofsaid tube lying between each ofsaid pairsof cuts displaced inwardly to form recesses-for thereception of similarly "constructed additional tubes estendingnormalto thelongitudinalaxisoi said first mentioned tube.

2. A wall memberior r-a'toy house comprising a-cylindrioal paperboar'dtube, said tube having longitudinally spaced pairs of cuts therein, said pairs of cuts extending at right angles to .the iongitudinal axis of said tube and bein coextensive within the same arcuatesegments thereof, With-the portions of said tube lying between each of said pairs of cuts displaced inwardly to form recesses for the receptionof similarlyconstruoted-additional tubes extending normal tothe longitudinal axis or" said first mentioned tube, pairs of said cuts being-diametrically opposed, with the-displaced areaslying between the pairs of cuts fastened together.

3. 'lhe structure claimed in claim 2 wherein said inwardly displacedareas are secured togather by means of grommets.

l. in a building-structure for the purposes described, a plurality of paperboard tubes comprisingthe-walls of said structure, each of said tubes having longitudinally spaced-pairs of cuts thereiii-extending across the axis of the tube andbeing coextensive within the same arcuate segment thereof with the portions lying -between each-of said pairs of cuts displaced inwardly to provide openings in said tubes for the reception of additional tubes extending substantially parallel-to the-said spacedpairs of cuts,thedistance between each of said part-s oicuts being-slightly less than the-diameter of said tube. 2

5. The structure claimed in claim 4 in which the cuts in each spaced pair of cuts are inclined inwardly at an angle ofsubstantially 15.

DONALD B. POYNTER.

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